Coronavirus lingers in the air of crowded places for hours, scientists say

CORONAVIRUS lingers in the air of crowded places for hours, scientists are warning. Researchers from the University of Wuhan, China, say exposure to Covid-19 may increase in crowded, closed-in settings with little air circulation, such as tube carriages and toilets. ⚠️ Read our coronavirus live blog for the latest news & updates And they are now […]

CORONAVIRUS lingers in the air of crowded places for hours, scientists are warning.

Researchers from the University of Wuhan, China, say exposure to Covid-19 may increase in crowded, closed-in settings with little air circulation, such as tube carriages and toilets.

Read our coronavirus live blog for the latest news & updates

The Mega Agency

And they are now urging people to wear masks in public to prevent airborne transmission.

The scientists made the revelation after taking samples from 30 different sites across Wuhan, China, the epicentre of the original outbreak.

They analysed the air inside hospitals as well as public areas of the city during the height of its outbreak in February and March.

The researchers found levels of airborne virus particles in the majority of public areas was too low to be detectable, except in two areas well-known for crowding – including the entrance of a department store.

In open, public areas outside the hospitals such as residential buildings and supermarkets, the study said the concentrations of Covid-19 “aerosols” were generally low.

Similarly, in the hospitals, the number of virus particles detected in isolation wards and ventilated patient rooms were very low.

Virus-laden aerosol

However, the number significantly increased in the patients’ toilet areas, which were not ventilated.

The study, published on Monday in the scientific research journal Nature, said: “Airborne SARS-CoV-2 may come from either the patient’s breath or from the virus-laden aerosol from patient’s faeces or urine during use.”

When people breathe, cough, or talk heavier droplets potentially containing the virus tend to drop to the ground because of gravity – causing contamination mostly via the objects on which they settle.

However, lighter droplets can remain suspended in breathable air for hours.

High concentrations also appeared in ventilated rooms without ventilation where medical staff removed their protective equipment, which may suggest that particles contaminating their gear became airborne again when masks, gloves and gowns were removed.

If the virus is being transmitting in aerosols, it is possible that particles can build up over time in crowded places or be transmitted over greater distances.

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The researchers behind the study said it did not examine whether the airborne particles could cause infections.

However, Professor Ke Lan, who led the study, claimed their research reveals that “during breathing or talking, SARS-CoV-2 aerosol transmission might occur and impact people both near and far from the source.”

He urged the general public to avoid crowds and wear masks “to reduce the risk of airborne virus exposure”.

He said their findings pointed out the importance of the ventilation and sterilisation of surfaces, which could potentially be causing the deadly spread of coronavirus.

During breathing or talking, SARS-CoV-2 aerosol transmission might occur

Professor Ke Lan

It comes after another recent study revealed coronavirus can survive in the air for three hours.

Researchers used a nebulizer device to put samples of the virus into the air, the same way it would end up there if someone were to cough.

They found the virus, still viable, could be detected in the air up to three hours later.

But researchers stressed that it doesn’t prove anyone has been infected by breathing the coronavirus through the air.

“We’re not by any way saying there is aerosolized transmission of the virus,” study leader Neeltje van Doremalen, of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said.

Inhaled into lungs

Van Doremalen told The Associated Press this work shows that the virus stays viable for long periods in those conditions, so it’s theoretically possible.

The tests were done at the National Institutes of Health’s Rocky Mountain Lab in Hamilton, Montana, by scientists from the NIH, Princeton University and the University of California, Los Angeles, with funding from the US government and the National Science Foundation.

What scientists have confirmed is that coronavirus is spread between people who are close contact with one another, within about six feet.

People contract it through “respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes.”

As explained by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, those droplets “can land in the mouths or noses of people who are nearby or possibly be inhaled into the lungs.”

Health officials warn to wash hands often for at least 20 seconds with soap and water, especially after being in public.

If someone is not near soap and water, hand sanitizer with at least 60 percent alcohol will work.

It’s also recommended people avoid close contact with others and avoid touching their eyes, nose and mouth with dirty hands.